Starbucks Staten Island mug: Discovery Series

By The Starbucks Cups team · Last checked 2026-11-14 · How we make these pages

Starbucks Discovery Series Staten Island mug with a turtle, a suspension bridge, a ferry and a lobster around the words STATEN ISLAND — Front view · numbered markers match the list below Show markers

The Staten Island Discovery mug puts the name on a dark green circle under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, with a ferry that is probably the Staten Island Ferry, a turtle, a lobster dish, a fishing pier, an ornate theatre, a Chinese-style pavilion, a hiker, a deer and a train.

Series: Discovery Series
Place: Staten Island, New York, USA
Type: Mug
Released: Not confirmed
Capacity: 14 fl ozstandard mug size
SKU: Not confirmed

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The bridge name that was refused, then lost a letter

In 1951, John N. LaCorte of the Italian Historical Society of America asked that a bridge planned across the Narrows be named for the navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano. The answer was no ^[1]. When he repeated the request, according to the society's own account, the manager of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority said the name was too long and difficult to spell and pronounce ^[2], and Robert Moses said the bridge would carry it only over his dead body ^[3]. In 1960, Governor Rockefeller signed the bill naming the bridge ^[4]. Then a letter went missing. The construction contract spelled the name with one z, and Gay Talese, who chronicled the building of the bridge, called it a "typo and everybody let it go" ^[5] ^[6]. The second z arrived in October 2018, when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill adding it ^[7]. The suspension bridge at the top left of the Staten Island mug (3) is the one that lost a letter and got it back.

The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.

What's on the mug

1
Lettering
STATEN ISLAND is printed in pale teal capitals on two lines across a dark green circle.
2
Turtle
A turtle sits on top of the green circle. Its domed shell is drawn in green panels with spiral marks, and its head and paddle-like legs are pale teal with dark spots. The drawing does not show enough to tell the species.
3
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
A yellow-green suspension bridge crosses the top left of the front: one tall tower with an arched opening at the left, and the main cable running down to a second, smaller tower drawn on the green circle, so both towers of one bridge are shown. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is the suspension bridge that joins Staten Island to Brooklyn. The mug doesn't name it.^[1]^[8]
4
Ferry, probably the Staten Island Ferry
A long, low ferry with several decks of windows, drawn in yellow-green with a maroon stripe and a pilot house at the right end, crosses the water under the circle. It is probably the Staten Island Ferry, which runs from St. George to Lower Manhattan, though the drawing does not use the real boats' orange. The mug doesn't name it.^[9]
5
Lobster with a lemon slice
A maroon lobster with pale spots holds a yellow lemon slice in one claw. A small teal bowl with green herbs sits beside it, so it reads as a seafood dish rather than a live animal.
6
Fishing pier
A dark wooden pier on posts runs out over wavy water at the right, beside the handle. Two small figures stand at its railing, one casting a long fishing line. The mug doesn't say which pier.
7
Ornate theatre, probably the St. George Theatre Side view
An indoor theatre is drawn from the seats: a tall arched surround in maroon, teal and grey panels with a hanging lamp at the top, a lit stage with a small performer, and rows of dark seated heads in front. It is probably the St. George Theatre, Staten Island's best-known old theatre, whose interior mixes Spanish, Renaissance and Moorish Revival styles. The same theatre is seen again in the Back photo. The mug doesn't name it.^[10]
8
Hiker with a walking stick Side view
A large figure in a spotted green shirt, dark trousers and a teal cap, with a long braid, strides up a yellow path holding a tall walking stick, among leafy plants. It may stand for the Staten Island Greenbelt, the borough's large network of connected trails. The mug doesn't name it.^[13]
9
Antlered deer Side view
A deer with branching antlers, drawn in teal with maroon legs, walks below the hiker towards the right. The drawing does not show enough to name the species.
10
Chinese-style pavilion, probably the Chinese Scholar's Garden at Snug Harbor Side view
A pavilion with a curved, upswept dark roof stands above green planting and a pale walkway with two small walking figures. It looks like the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden at Snug Harbor, whose pavilions were made in Suzhou, China. The same pavilion is seen again in the Back photo. The mug doesn't name it.^[11]
11
Pond or rink with trees Side view
An oval pale teal pond or rink, with a ring marked in its middle, a low fence and a small figure on it, sits under a row of tall green and purple trees at the upper right of this view. The mug doesn't say which park it is.
12
Glass of red wine Back view
A stemmed glass of dark red wine stands at the upper left of the drawing on this side.
13
Bowl of spaghetti Back view
A teal bowl of spaghetti in red sauce sits next to the wine glass, with a fork lifting a twirl of pasta above it.
14
Train, possibly the Staten Island Railway Back view
A pale teal train car with a lit headlight and front windows runs on striped tracks below the bowl. It may stand for the Staten Island Railway, the borough's own rapid transit line. The mug doesn't name it.^[12]
15
Station platform with a funnel-shaped canopy Back view
Beside the train, a yellow-green platform with a waiting figure and a small bag sits under a wide canopy shaped like an upside-down cone on a post. The mug doesn't say which station.
16
Toucan and visitors at a railing
A dark toucan-like bird with a large yellow-green bill perches at the top of a bare green tree, and three people stand behind a dark railing beside the tree. The mug doesn't say which zoo or park this is.
17
Yellow-green land with a dotted path
Below the lobster, a long yellow-green patch of land is crossed by a white dotted line, with a tiny figure at its right end.
18
Glass-walled building on a hill Side view
A small long building with a row of windows stands on stilts at the edge of a green hill, to the right of the deer's head. The mug doesn't name it.
19
Yellow building with rows of windows Side view
A yellow-green building with about three rows of white windows sits behind a tree at the lower right of this view. The mug doesn't name it.
20
Starbucks wordmark Back view
STARBUCKS is printed in black capitals, running vertically beside the handle.

Together the three photos show most of the outside of the mug; the strip directly opposite the handle may be only partly visible.

Collector notes

The inside of this mug is deep teal, which shows at the rim in the photo.
Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Manhattan also have Discovery mugs on our checklists; this one is lettered STATEN ISLAND on two lines.
The three photos overlap (the theatre and the pavilion appear in both the Side and Back photos); the strip between the right edge of the Side photo and the left edge of the Front photo is only partly visible, so items there may be missing from this list.

Before you buy

The inside of this mug is deep teal, which shows at the rim in the photo. Together the three photos show most of the outside, but the strip directly opposite the handle may be only partly visible. We list no other series with a Staten Island mug; the Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Manhattan Discovery mugs are separate, and this one is lettered STATEN ISLAND on two lines.